Mechanical musical instrument



(McdeL) G. B. KELLY 86 J. H. CHASE.

Mechanical Musical Instrument. No. 241,993. Patented May 24,1881.

v i I M (an): L w c N. PHI-Ins. Photo-Lithographer, Washington, D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. KELLY, OF BOSTON, AND J. HERBERT CHASE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,993, dated May 24, 1881.

(ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. KELLY and J. HERBERT CHASE, respectively of Boston and Cambridge, in the counties of Suffolk and Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful 1m provements in Mechanical Musical Instruments. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanical musical instruments in which valves to reeds, &c., are operated by levers through the perforated and unperforated portions of a sheet material caused to travel through the instrument; and it consists of the construction and arrangement of a series of supplementary chambers in a detachable board located between the wind-chest and reed-chambers, of valves located in said chambers, and of a swell-board to the reed-chambers having afree valve, the several parts being constructed and arranged for operation in combination with levers and a perforated strip of paper or other suitable sheet material, all substantially as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying plate of drawings this invention is illustrated, Figure 1 being a plan view of a mechanical musical instrument constructed according to this invention, but with the perforated strip removed 5 Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section on line .10 00, Fig. 1, with the perforated strip in position and with the valve closed; Fig. 3, a similar sectional view to Fig. 2, above the bellows, but with the valve open; Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the detach able board having the supplementary chambers formed therein; Fig.5, a cross-section of same on line y 3 Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a longitudinal sectional view, and Fig. 7 a plan view, of the under side of the swell-board; Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11, detail sectional views of the valve, to be hereinafter more particularly referred to.

In the drawings, A represents the windchest, B the bellows, and U the exhausters of the bellows, all supported by the uprights D. E is a board secured to the wind-chest A, which board makes one side of the wiud-chest and is the usual action-board of reed-organs, and to which are secured the parts making the action,

reeds, and reed-chambers, &c., as usual in reedorgans, the board being secured by screws a, so that it can be attached and detached as desired.

G is the reed-chamber above action-board E, and having located therein the reeds H. This reed chamber G at its opening I) is covered by a swell-board, J, hinged at c, which swell-board has on its under or inner side a free valve, K, adapted to operate in connection with an open ing, (1, in the swell-board.

L is the perforated strip of paper, which is caused to travel through the instrument by the feed-rolls M and N, to one, N, of which is attached the crank-arm O, by which to operate the same, and to which crank-arm or its shaft the bellows are attached for operation in any.

suitable manner.

P are the operating-levers. Each lever]? swings vertically on a pivot, f, in a groove, g, of a cross-bar, Q, above the board E, and at its end I has a V-shaped projection, m, to enter the perforations in the strip L in line with it as it, the paper strip, travels through the in strument. The other cnd,n, of each lever P bears against the under shoulder, o,of the free end of a spring-lever, R, hinged at 1) to the board E.

S is a board located in the wind-chestAand secured to the under side of the action-board E, and having on its upper side, out out or formed in any suitable manner, recesses or chambers T, which, when the board is secured in place to the action-board E, form the supplementary air-chambers communicating with the reed-chambers G through openingsq in the action-board, and by openingsrwith the wind chest, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This board S is secured by screws 8 to the action-board E, as shown in the drawings, so that it can be attached to and detached from the same at pleasure, which is easily accomplished after removing the action-board.

In the supplementary air-chamber T is a valve, U, hinged by a leather joint to the bottom of said chamber, its weight being sufficient to keep it to its scat over the opening r when not in operation.

A downwardly projecting arm, t, of the spring-lever R enters the chamber T through an opening, 'a, in action-board E, in position to bear upon the end i; of the valve U.

The operation of the instrument is as follows: Inserting the end of the perforated paper strip between the feed-rolls M N, which end is preferably unperforated for a short distance therefrom, turn the feed-rolls, and the paper strip is then fed along to and between the board V, held by spring-arms W, and the levers I, which, by its unperforated portion, presses the ends 1 of the levers down, and raising the spring-levers R the valves U will then drop to their seats by their "own weight, closing their respective openings. In the continued movement of the perforated strip, as a perforation comes over a projection, m, of one of the levers P it enters such perforation; the spring-lever It then, through its arm 2?, opens the valve U, as shown in Fig. 3, which causes the reed to sound, provided the bellows are properly operated therefor. As the unperforated portion comes over a projection, m, the valve is closed, as before described.

Each reed has a separate chamber, T, valve U, and spring-lever t, which are arranged in the same vertical plane, and a lever, P, the levers P being arranged to converge from their connection with the spring-levers to their pivotal points, as shown in Fig. 1, by which means a much narrower strip of paper can be used than otherwise.

In the operation of the instrument the most power to open the valve is required at the instant the valve begins to rise from its seat, as at such time the full pressure of the air from the reedchambers, caused by the exhaustion of the air from the wind-chest by the operation ofthe bellows, is exerted; but immediately the valve commences to rise the air from the reedchamber passes under the valve, to and through the opening into the wind-chest, reducing its pressure in the chamberT and neut "alizing its pressure or effect on the valve,v which then requires, to fully open it, only sufficient power or pressure to overcome its weight, which is really nominal, and to a certain extent it is assisted in such opening by the air as itpasses through the chamber.

A board, S, located as shown, having chambers T, and arranged to be attached and detached, substantially as described, has many advantages. It is cheap, simple, and easily constructed and readily attached and detached at pleasure, and is very desirable in the manufacture of these instruments, as well as reedorgans generally.

The swell-board forms a chamber over the reeds, and is applied for the purpose of softening the toneof thereeds when being sounded, and applying to said swell-board afree valve, substantially as shown, gives to the air passing to the reeds, to sound them when the swell is closed, a tremulous motion, thereby prod noin g a tremulous effect on the tone of the reeds, all of which effects are automatic, and thus varying and pleasing effects are caused on the tone produced by the reeds as the swell-board is opened or closed and the free valve caused to operate in the closing of the swell-board.

As when operating the instrument the airpressure in the chamber T holds the valve firmly to its seat its own weight is sufficient to so hold it at other times in readiness for operation. Thus alight, free, and casily-operatin g valve is secured. If desired, however, a light spring can be used with it; but it is practical and preferable without such sprin As the valve commences to rise from its seat against the air-pressure, as above described, it can do so on a long leverage and short fulcrum, there by lessening the power required to start the alve from its seat, and afterward, before being fully opened, change to a shorter leverage and longer fulcrum, as then less power is required to continue its opening movement. A longer fulcrum is preferable then, also, for it insures a full uncovering of the opening under the valve for a free passage of the air from the reed-chamber. Such an arrangement of fulcra is shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, where a is the shorter fulcrum and b the longer fulcrum, the valve commencing to rise on the fulcrum a and opening fully 011 the fulcrum I). In Fig. 11 the valve has a convex surface on its under side, whereby the fulcrum is changing C0l1 stantly from a short to a long one.

The board S can be secured in any suitable manner that will allow of its being attached and detached as desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is-

1. In a mechanical musicalinstrument, an independent and detachable board, S, located in the wind-chest A, said board having a se ries of chambers, T, and openings 1', in which chambers T are located valves U over said openings, said valves being held to their seats by the pressure of air from the reed-chambers when operating the instrument, all substantiall y as and for the purpose described.

2. A valve, U, hinged by a flexible material, and having two fulcra, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

. 3. In combination with reed-chambers of a musical instrument, a swell-board having a free valve, K, applied thereto, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. B. KELLY. J. HERBERT CHASE.

Witnesses:

EDWIN W. BROWN, W M. S. BELLows. 

